Sunday, November 11, 2012

Just too much hard work!

We would have liked to have come to the Thursday night of the Festival, especially because the Croakers were on in an extended concert.  But we were all festivaled out after Maldon and the Melbourne Cup then only a few days break.

Also, I had a lot of trouble with my dialysis and so needed the extra night to make it up.

I arrived at the Badges Friday afternoon in time for a nap.

The Badges arrived later and we were soon ready to head into Bendigo for our first Bendigo Blues & Roots Festival.

We were not quite sure what to expect or where anything was.

We arrived in Bendigo and found the Festival Office which was a trestle table under the Shamrock verandah.

We figured we just had to walk the CBD to orient ourselves with the venues in that area, and if we found something we liked we would stay there.

The Badges were starving so they grabbed a quick Subway to keep going and we agreed finding somewhere for tea was a priority too.

We finally found a venue, the Exchange, on the Boardwalk (Oscar’s Walk), but it appeared to be a bit of a bogan bar with a band to match.  So, we headed back the way we came.

Yarn bombers at action in Bendigo during the Blues Festival
[Photo: Og Bear]
Tane entertaining the punters at El Gordo
[Photo: Og Bear]
Yarn Bombers were at work encasing a bike rack.  Aha, the mystery was solved of the wool encased tree I saw near the Post Office last week!

Up a narrow lane we found the El Gordo.  It was basically a tapas bar that fronted straight on to the lane full of people enjoying and dancing to music played by local musician and busker, Tane.

A familiar voice surprised me; it was Roy from Geelong who had done well on The Cup and decided to enjoy the proceeds by coming to the Festival.

We would have like to have stayed, but it was quite expensive for what it was and we wanted to have tea.

The Metro (Puggs Irish Bar, as if we needed another one?), was pretty disappointing too.

So we decided to have tea. and went back to the Indian restaurant we had spotted in Pall Mall.  The Indian Tavern Tandoori Restaurant was upstairs in what used to be a large tea room from the old days.

All we were hungry for was a snack so they accommodated us with an entreé for three plus a few more samosas.  Really  nice.  Did the job perfectly!

Edward watching the Old Buzzard Medicine Show playing at Billroys Blues Bar
[Photo: Og Bear]
By the time we finished it was time to go to the Goldmines Hotel to see the 'Buzzards', legendary local blues band, who were playing downstairs at Billroys Blues Bar.

This was great, it was exactly what we were looking for.  We had seen them at about five weeks before when Billroys opened.

They were running a bit late though, which meant by the time they were finished we had missed Genevieve Chadwick at the Cambrian Hotel.  It was also too late to catch Jimmy Hocking at the Golden Vine Hotel.

Stringybark McDowell playing to a very crowded Basement Bar
[Photo: Og Bear]
The Mockbells were the last band on at the Gold Dust Lounge
[Photo: Og Bear]
Stringybark was still playing at the Basement Bar.  The tiny venue was very crowded and we didn't stay long.

We had not been to the Gold Dust Lounge yet, but the Mockbells, a local swing band, were playing and once we ran into a few people we knew we soon settled in for the rest of the night.

Red was there, as was Geoff from Ocean Grove and Jules.  Jacqui soon turned up, and friend of Edwards from the car club was there too.

We were worn out and it was time to go, but Archer (Long Gone Daddies) arrived just as we were about to depart.  It was well after 1am when we actually we did leave.

By the time we got back to Maldon and turned in it was well after 2am.

The farmers market on Saturday morning in Bendigo
[Photo: Og Bear]
The vintage car display in Hargreaves Mall
[Photo: Og Bear]
Twelve Inch Clocks Performing in the Hargreaves Mall
[Photo: Og Bear]
Back in time on Saturday morning to see Twelve Inch Clocks playing in the Hargeaves Mall.

As I entered into the Mall there was a great display of vintage trucks, car, tractors and caravans.  Eat your heart out Edward.

Today I am on my own as Edward and Jan have other obligations.

Parking the car was easy as the Council had set all the parking meters to free until Monday morning.

As I walked through the gardens towards the Post Office there was a farmers market in Sidney Myer Place next to it.

Twin stages in the Civic Gardens
[Photo: Og Bear]
The Festival layout was very disorienting.  I eventually realised that Civic Gardens was on the other side of the Old Town Hall opposite the Metro.

This was a really great setup.  Nice lawns and a very large shady tree.  There were 'twin' stages so as one band finished another started.

Stringybark on one of the Civic Gardens Stages
[Photo: Og Bear]
The Mockbells were playing as I arrived, soon after that Stringybark was playing with his usual sartorial overkill.

I spotted Mark and Vicki, and soon Red and the other acquaintances.

In the back of my mind was that I had to be at dialysis at the Bendigo Hospital at 2:30pm.

I decided it was time to collected the car and then I would still have time to squeeze in the 'Buzzards' at McGilvray Hall.

The map in the program was pretty basic, so it was a bit  of a guess where it really was.  I drove around and came to the conclusion it was part of the TAFE complex.  Yes! But by the time I located McGilvray Hall there was only 5 minutes left and I was a bit worried about the parking around the hospital.

Parking was tight around the hospital.  I came into the hospital through and obscure entrance and stumbled across the dialysis unit.

They were very welcoming and I was soon connected up and doing my dialysis.

One of the nurses remembered talking to me on the bus at the Maldon Festival the weekend before where both she and her husband were drivers.

After 4 hours it was all over and 30 minutes later I was back at the Festival.

I was hoping to catch the end of Kinga and the Croakers at the Bridge Hotel, but by the time I got a park they had just finished.

This was to set the trend for the weekend.

I headed back into the centre of Bendigo.

Jo Jo Smith with Alanna and Alicia Egan at the Gold Dust Lounge
[Photo: Og Bear]
Jo Jo Smith in the Gold Dust Lounge was a real surprise.  She was on the stage with guests Alanna and Alicia Egan who she had hooked up with at Maldon the weekend the week before.  But again I walked in on their last song.

Next I found I had missed Dallas Frasca on the Civic Gardens Stage.

Mike Elrington giving his usual high energy performance in the Metro
[Photo: Og Bear]
I headed back to Puggs (The Metro) where Mike Elrington giving out his usual high energy performance.

I was also getting a bit peckish.  I spotted some mighty fine calamari going past on a plate, but when I went to order I was told the kitchen had closed.  8pm and a Saturday night in the middle of a Festival.  Unbelievable!  I was disappointed as food in a regional city such as Bendigo tends to be larger establishments and quite unimaginative and bland.

Red, Jacqui and the rest of the crew arrived.  Jacqui got some Chinese which we all shared.

I looked at the program again and again.  I simply could not make the night work.

It was either long walks or drives, parking etc.

Also, most of the crowd seemed to go to their usual venue and really didn't care who was on.  They were simply there to get drunk.

Tucked up the laneway, the Bottle Shop in the Shamrock
[Photo: Og Bear]
I had to go back to get a jacket from the car as it was getting cold, plus I was really tired.

By the time I got back to the car I had come to the conclusion that this Festival was just too much hard work!

I sat in the car and thought about it.  I had missed a lot of acts I wanted to see, the Croakers, Genevieve Chadwick, Jimmy Hocking, Checkerboard, Archer and more.

I realised for me the 2012 Bendigo Blues and Roots Festival was a lost cause so I turned the key and headed back to Maldon.

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